Seems like we’re having a nice gradual transition into fall, both with the weather and with the crops.
Our carrot and lettuce supply looks good for the foreseeable future. Chard continues to look good although I did notice a few more aphids starting to return. Sweet peppers are slowing quite a bit but we should have one more week of those, not sure what will happen with the tomatoes though.
Now that we’re solidly into fall and the onions, shallots and garlic are all given out we’re going to start harvesting the leeks.
Looking at our brassica patch the salad turnips are very close and are a maybe for next week. Kale is also an outside possibility, as are cabbage and kohlrabi.
We have a few more storage crops to give out as well. There’s another winter squash or two for next week. Unfortunately the three varieties pictured above didn’t yield well so we don’t have enough of any of the three to give out to everyone so it’ll be a little random. All three of these will benefit from a bit of curing at home, simply sitting in a cool spot with a bit of airflow (like a kitchen counter). There’s very little butternut and that one will probably be at peak flavor sometime from November to December. There’s a bit more of the Black Futsu and that one is probably at its peak from December through January (it’s also a great decoration until then, and will continue to change colors on its bumpy surface). Black Forest Kabocha is the largest of the three and should be ready later this month, through November. For more on winter squash check out the eatwintersquash.com project or @cookwithwhatyouhave.
Besides winter squash, another dual purpose (seasonal ornamental/edible) crop we have to give out in the next week or two is popcorn. These are full ears of Dakota Black. We’re giving them out on the cob because they just look so good. I’ll have an upcoming post on how to actually shell and pop the corn.
Next week might be the last chance for pick your own cherry tomatoes, although they’re already in decline. Most of the herbs are still looking good, and some of the flowers too, although sadly those will decline with the rain and cold too. In their place we’ll be putting in cover crop, as we’ve already started to do out in empty beds in the fields.
Cully Neighborhood Farm 